True healing begins when we stop analysing our emotions and start feeling them. After we learn to regulate anxiety and recognise the defences that protect us, the next step is to make contact with the emotions underneath. This means allowing a feeling to take presence in the body without resisting, changing, or explaining it. In this reflection, we explore the allowing practice, a way of staying with what arises rather than turning away. You will learn how to recognise the moment emotion begins to surface, how to name what you feel, and how to remain present long enough for the wave to complete its natural course. When we stop resisting, emotion transforms on its own. Anger becomes clarity, sadness softens into tenderness, and fear settles into calm awareness. What once felt unbearable becomes the very source of inner strength.

We all develop ways to protect ourselves from emotions that feel too uncomfortable or threatening to face. These automatic defences once helped us survive, but over time they can keep us disconnected from our deeper feelings and truth. Defence work is the process of becoming aware of these patterns, understanding what they protect us from, and gradually choosing honesty over avoidance. Through awareness, we begin to see the cost of old defences and reclaim the energy once spent on control and self-protection. This is courageous work, the work of turning toward what is real.

Anxiety is not always something to get rid of. Beneath the racing heart or tight chest, it can signal deeper emotions such as grief, anger, or longing that have not yet had space to be felt. When anxiety becomes strong, gentle regulation can help the body settle. When it is mild, curiosity and presence open the way to understanding what the anxiety is really about.